Pakistan, Oct. 4 -- The air in Muzaffarabad has been thick with tension, a familiar yet unsettling feeling that descends whenever the social contract between the people and the state begins to fray. We've seen this script before in many parts of the world: protests erupt, demands are made, and the state responds with either overwhelming force or political paralysis. But what is unfolding in Azad Kashmir today tells a different story, one that demonstrates how a state can respond to internal challenges through constitutional mechanisms and political engagement rather than brute force.

The decision by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to form a high-level negotiation committee represents the institutional strength of Pakistan's democratic appr...